The invention relates to a horizontal agitator as defined by the first embodiment.
A horizontal agitator is known from DE 40 15 478 C1. In this connection a propeller is connected to a drive unit. The drive unit comprises a submersible motor which usually drives the propeller via a gear unit. In this connection the submersible motor is arranged axially to the propeller i.e., a drive shaft of the submersible motor runs essentially parallel to a rotary axis of the propeller.
In addition, horizontal agitators are also known which, although the submersible motor is axially displaced in relation to the propeller, it is not, however, arranged in a horizontal plane running through a rotary axis of the propeller, i.e., in this case, the submersible motor is arranged either below or above the horizontal plane running through the rotary axis of the propeller.
Conventional horizontal agitators are attached to a frame which is mounted in the vicinity of the wall of a clearing basin or on a bridge. A horizontal flow directed from the submersible motor or from the frame to the propeller is produced by the action of the propeller.
The efficiency of the known horizontal agitators is not particularly high. Apart from this, conventional horizontal agitators are not particularly universal. To obtain the best possible efficiency, it is, in accordance with prior art, required to select a suitable propeller based on the size of the clearing basin and to operate this propeller at a specified speed suitable for this purpose. Each horizontal agitator must thus be designed for the particular application. That is expensive and time-consuming.